Not sure what to do...

[WhitJord85]

Here are my stats...

3.51 overall GPA
3.30 science GPA
3.7 non-science GPA
MCAT: 24O (9BS/8V/7PS)

ECs:
Sorority Member - 4 Years
Sorority VP of Membership - 1 yr
Chancellor's Achievement Award - 2 semesters
Dean's List (4 semesters)
Undergraduate Anatomy Lab TA
Scholar Athlete Award
Intercollegiate Athletics - Women's Golf
Student Athlete Advisory Committee Member - 2 Years
NGCA Academic All-American (2 years)
Worked as Pharmacy Tech (1 year)
National Certified Pharmacy Tech (CPhT)
Team Captain - Up Til Dawn St. Jude's Children Hospital
Team Captain - Relay for Life
Physician Shadowing - 45+ hours; including rural medicine DO
Volunteering with hospice in rural area - 6+ hrs/wk
Pre-Professional Masters Program - 1 yr - 30 hrs of graduate bio course work
2009 USGA Womens Amateur Public Links - national tournament participant
Ran 2 half marathons in 2009

Currently completing a 1 yr masters program - pre-professional program

I have applied to 16 DO schools... complete at 13 at this point (finishing the other 3 this weekend)... I didn't apply until the end of October because I was planning on trying to qualify to professional golf for a year before applying... However I got injured right before qualifying school, and was unable to compete, so I decided I would go ahead and apply, despite my low MCAT.

Here I am, apply very late, and with less than stellar GPA and MCAT.
Obviously one way to improve my application would be to retake and get an MCAT score ~30. I feel like that I should try to start studying for the MCAT at this point, and sign up for it, at the end of May or beginning of June (whenever that opens)... but with my tough school schedule, I'm trying to be realistic as to whether I will have time to study for it.

Any suggestions/comments would be appreciated.
Sorry its so long.

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[Emerald84]

hmmm.... I completed my secondaries in October and have interviewed and been accepted at 3 DO programs... (5 interview invites overall)

Hard to say. My MCAT was a 28 and GPA 3.5 overall, 3.8ish science

I recommend calling the schools to see if you have any pre-interview holds. Not a bad idea to consider retaking the mcat. What schools did you apply to?

 

[WhitJord85]

I applied to:

CCOM
AZCOM
KCOM
ATSU-SOMA
DMU
KCUMB
GA-PCOM
PCOM
LECOM
LECOM-B
MSUCOM
NSU
Ohio
TUCOM-CA
Western
WCU

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

I'm not entirely sure what the problem is. You just received all of your secondaries last month. You did a great job of turning them around in a timely matter. You were just completed at a lot of these schools after the new year, and already you're considering re-application? Some osteopathic schools don't even have a primary deadline until March (Western is April)!! Save pulling all of the applications you just submitted, I'd say it's time to pay your dues and wait. Schools take time to review applications. Given the dates, I'd venture to say this is high season. It could take another month or two to hear anything. People on SDN will say "Oh, you're applying so late, you should've gotten everything in as soon as the application opened" and that may work for some, but deadlines are there for a reason. If it wasn't acceptable to turn an application in by a ccertain date, schools would change their deadlines.

You're not out of the running until you receive 16 rejection letters. If you really want to start thinking about the next application cycle, which is fair, then I think you already know what to do: apply earlier so that you're not beating yourself up about "applying so late," work on your MCAT, and formulate a new PS. If you want to avoid that, and you have the funds, and you don't mind doing it, add some more schools that have later primary and secondary deadlines.

If I'm completely off in the aim that I took in responding, then I apologize. All the same, I think (and hope) that you're gonna be okay.

 

[WhitJord85]

Thanks for the advice...
I am trying to be patient... I am really thinking and hoping that I don't end up with 16 rejection letters... However like you said... I want to prepared for next cycle... If it turns out I need to be...and I guess for me that means mainly getting a better MCAT score...which takes time and preparation.

 

[J ROD]

you should get some action...your stats are not that bad...

call the schools and see what they say.....

 

[sylvanthus]

The only things I can think of is the relatively low MCAT and relative lack of clinical experience. You do have a year as a pharm tech, but when I was looking through your rather large list of ECs, the things that stood out to me had to do with your sorority and sports. I wouldnt put it past an adcom to completely miss the pharm tech in that large list of nonclinical extracurriculars.

But, I think you should be fine, keep us updated!

 

[WhitJord85]

Just a little update for all those who responded...or might be reading...

I received an interview invite on 1/21 for LECOM on 3/1... so a little late but I am definitely excited about it... LECOM and LECOM-B are my top choices for the PBL curriculum!!!

I also received an on-hold status letter yesterday from AZCOM.... which I was pretty stoked about... I know most people are disappointed by these but I figured it would be an outright rejection. I think I am going to update them with my Masters grades and express my further interest in the school in letter to them... figure it can't hurt and might help... Their secondary had super short character limits and I didn't feel like I got express everything I wanted...

I think my success thus far is due to some pretty good secondaries and a really good LOR from the DO I shadowed... she told me she was writing an excellent letter, and I am just guessing that maybe it is helping make up for my less than stellar MCAT (but I'm just guessing)

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

See? You're halfway in the door. Though we'd like our egos to be stroked by multiple interviews and acceptances, all you need is one, so study hard and knock their socks off.

And please, PLEASE think of the big picture!! A March interview at LECOM is not late, considering that their primary/secondary has an April deadline. You're way ahead of the game.

Good luck!

 

[Morsetlis]

I feel like that I should try to start studying for the MCAT at this point, and sign up for it, at the end of May or beginning of June (whenever that opens)... but with my tough school schedule, I'm trying to be realistic as to whether I will have time to study for it.

Yes, you will. I basically took the Kaplan course (60 classroom hours) and did two full days of studying and ended up with a 36 balanced (their diagnostic test had me at 28 balanced coming in). If I actually studied and took more practice tests I'd break 40 easily.

Cramming is usually bad but the combination of short classes over many weeks and two whole days of cramming did it for me.

 

[dragonfly99]

I don't recommend cramming for the MCAT. If the OP retakes and does as poorly as she did before, it's going to hurt her reapplication. It's a hard test, and this is from someone who got 30 the first time and 40+ after restudying with Princeton Review. It's a damn hard test (but you already know that). If you won't have time to study the right way during spring semester and golf season, then don't retake it until next summer...it's better to take it in June/July/August and actually do well than to retake it too early and bomb it. The people who take the test are for the most part smart and ambitious and well educated, so being on the good side of the bell curve is not so easy.

I also think that your clinical experience could be better...but that's something you can fix and as a college student you do have time...I mean lots of time in your future life...though it doesn't seem so right now I know.

 

[lovemesomeTJ]

I don't recommend cramming for the MCAT. If the OP retakes and does as poorly as she did before, it's going to hurt her reapplication. It's a hard test, and this is from someone who got 30 the first time and 40+ after restudying with Princeton Review. It's a damn hard test (but you already know that). If you won't have time to study the right way during spring semester and golf season, then don't retake it until next summer...it's better to take it in June/July/August and actually do well than to retake it too early and bomb it. The people who take the test are for the most part smart and ambitious and well educated, so being on the good side of the bell curve is not so easy.

I also think that your clinical experience could be better...but that's something you can fix and as a college student you do have time...I mean lots of time in your future life...though it doesn't seem so right now I know.

I think OP has already graduated. But let's say OP has been volunteering in the hospice for a year now. 312 (6*52) hours isn't enough? Would it suffice to volunteer in an acute care center even if it's running interdepartmental errands?

Sometimes I just wonder when it all ends and the efforts you've put into something can be considered a valiant effort.

 

[WhitJord85]

Ok, let me make some clarifications...

I have graduated... I graduated in 2008... with around 160 credits... changed my major many times... addressed in my personal statement...

For those who think I have time to study for the MCAT right now... I DON'T.
I am in a very difficult and time-demanding master's program. I am carrying a 15-hr graduate course load... so pretty much, I go to class, I eat, I study, I sleep, and I workout 1 hr per day, and repeat. I really don't have time right now to put towards studying for the MCAT... so I am really hoping it doesn't come down to taking it again, as I think I will have to put it off til later in the summer so I can prepare adequately.

An update for those who are following my applications right now:

Rejected from CCOM and DMU - no surprises and not terribly disappointed
On hold at AZCOM and LECOM-B - writing update letters with Masters grades and sent additional LORs
Interview at LECOM on 3/1
Complete at: PCOM, PCOM-GA, Touro-CA, Western, Ohio, WCU, NSU, KCUMB

 

[dragonfly99]

The science GPA and the MCAT score are low.
A master's program won't necessarily outweight the low undergrad science GPA, as master's programs are known to grade inflate.
The OP may need to retake the MCAT if she doesn't get in this year, regardless of whether she feels like she has time to restudy.
I had to restudy for the MCAT while having a full time job and also intermittently going to school at night to take classes (master's and/or upper level science classes) so it can be done.

 

[WhitJord85]

The science GPA and the MCAT score are low.
A master's program won't necessarily outweight the low undergrad science GPA, as master's programs are known to grade inflate.
The OP may need to retake the MCAT if she doesn't get in this year, regardless of whether she feels like she has time to restudy.
I had to restudy for the MCAT while having a full time job and also intermittently going to school at night to take classes (master's and/or upper level science classes) so it can be done.

Some master's programs may grade inflate... our program is associated with our state med school and the med school is continually pressuring our professors to not give too many good grades... many class will have approximately 100 people and will only give 10 A's... or have 95% cutoffs for an A...

Don't know how you make that known to anyone.. but grade inflation is definitely not the case here... everyone earning high GPAs in this program is really earning them.

I am completely okay with having to take the MCAT again... but I don't want to be unprepared and get a low score again and end up in same the place. Surely someone can understand that. But I cannot sacrifice my grades in my masters program to prepare for the MCAT... those will show if/when I apply again too...

 

[dragonfly99]

so you wait until you are done with your master's program and then retake the MCAT.